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Alexandria police to make map of Flock camera locations public
As questions about Flock cameras and other automated license plate readers grow, the City of Alexandria is asking for more transparency from its police department.
ALEXANDRIA, Va. - As questions about Flock cameras and other automated license plate readers grow, the City of Alexandria is asking for more transparency from its police department.
Alexandria police will soon publish a map of the camera locations. Most police departments do not publish these locations, but they are easy to find through crowd-sourced data online.
Some police agencies say camera locations are law enforcement sensitive information, citing concerns about vandalism and criminals evading detection.
The Alexandria Police Department previously pushed not to identify the locations due to operational and investigative concerns. However, Alexandria City Council members believe the public has a right to know.
RELATED: Fairfax County School Board bans Flock cameras on school property
Within the city's less than 16 square miles, the Alexandria Police Department operates 61 automated license plate reader cameras. The cameras scan license plates and alert police when a vehicle matches a plate in the system.
Councilmembers want more transparency and are talking about taking the cameras out. The City Council ordered the release of the camera locations by Oct. 1.
Councilmembers also want to know how many of the 266 arrests tied to the cameras actually started with a license-plate reader alert.
The police department has an extensive webpage that explains the program. It states there are strict rules for database searches, and access is not given to outside law enforcement agencies without a court order.
The police chief said he is looking into other automated license plate reader companies whose data policies align better with community values.
The Source: Information in this article comes from the City of Alexandria Police Department.